'Wonder of the World' enlivens late winter in Provincetown

KATHI SCRIZZI DRISCOLL

Thursday

Feb 26, 2009 at 12:01 AM

"It's not the life I think I was supposed to have."

"It's not the life I think I was supposed to have."

With that declaration, troubled, sheltered Cass walks out on sexually deviant husband Kip to start exploring what life has to offer. She heads to Niagara Falls on a bus based on what she considers a past missed chance, armed with a to-do list of items like "talk to a stranger" and "learn Swedish." She soon checks off the first, plus "get a sidekick," when she befriends seatmate Lois, a suicidal, alcoholic abandoned wife toting a barrel intended for a ride over the falls.

Wacky situations, eccentric characters, clever dialogue and references — what fans of writer David Lindsay-Abaire ("Kimberly Akimbo," "Fuddy Meers") are looking for is all here in "Wonder of the World." Director Susan Grilli has packaged it with an appealing, constantly amusing cast, some great sight gags and an overall sense of fun.

One wishes, though, that the opening-night pace could be juiced up to a higher level of franticness for the rest of the run, and that Lindsay-Abaire's script wasn't so drawn out. The two problems collide in a too-long "Newlywed Game" catalyst to Act 2's climactic choices, underscoring that this comedy has some terrific, inspired scenes that don't quite add up to a brilliant whole.

Some favorite moments: the brief glimpse of Kip (Ben Greissmeyer) silently driving to find Cass (Nikki Wing), with The Carpenters' "Close to You" blaring as he weeps into a long swath of toilet paper; the moments when Cass and Lois (Sara Shatzel) are riding in a helicopter over the falls — an ingenious, cartoonish ceiling-high set piece — and Cass reveals her husband's dark secret; and three concurrent restaurant scenes with Valerie Stanford running in and out in various bizarre costumes as waitresses for each table.

Stanford's variety of characters are a highlight of the show, in fact, though the marriage therapist dressed as a clown becomes wearying because that "Newlywed Game" scene does.

While none of the characters particularly connect with viewers on an emotional level, they certainly do on an entertaining one. Wing's naivete, sunniness and sense of wonder become endearing in her Cass, though her glow and adventurous spirit are quiet, never quite reaching the bubbliness that her character says she is feeling. Shatzel's sarcastic sidekick is a welcome, often hilarious addition to every scene she's in, and she somehow avoids making the over-the-top alcoholic wife character too cliched.

The rest of the cast is strong, too: Greissmeyer's whiny, all-about-me Kip; Beau Jackett as a broken-hearted ferry captain who finds a second chance with Cass; and Sue Modrak and Scott Hayes as a pair of long-married, bumbling oddball private detectives put on Cass' trail.

Director Grilli nimbly navigates all of their off-kilter situations and silly lines, and does bring some warmth to this often kooky look at how life can pivot on chance moments. She judiciously uses sound design — especially the rush of the falls and the whir of the helicopter blades — and Greg Hamm's lighting to expand on the simple, serviceable set.

A few choices don't quite work, though: While Lois' barrel is described a few times as a wooden pickle barrel and becomes that at the absurd climax, it's simply a plastic trash can for all the other scenes. When Cass eats at a medieval banquet restaurant, she raves about portion size and how she feels like Henry VIII, but is holding a tiny chicken leg. And during an otherwise very funny scene performed over the loud rush of the falls, some characters shout and can't be heard while others speak softly and can be.

Niggling details, perhaps, but bothersome ones.

On the face of it, the sense-of-destiny story of "Wonder of the World" is based on horrific topics like divorce, abandonment, suicide, alcoholism and murder. Yet you laugh anyway, and that's the final success of both Lindsay-Abaire's script and Grilli's production.

"Wonder of the World"

Written by: David Lindsay-Abaire

Presented by: Counter Productions

Where: Provincetown Theater, 238 Bradford St., Provincetown.

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

Tickets: $18.50 or $22.50

Box office: (866) 811-4111 or wwwtheatermania.com

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